Remington Rand 1911

Well today I looked at a WW2 era 1911 and I really liked it but it was being sold for 1599 which I can afford but Im just not sure if it is worth that much just looking for some info on what they are worth thanks for the help:confused:

I don't know much about them...well nothing really,but I have a shop locally selling one for 1799. this shop has great prices on everything else so ur stores price of 1599 sounds good...what kind of condition...the one I saw looks new.

Well the pistol looks as if it went through a couple wars . It was very clean and looked to be in 100 percent working order but it looked liked it had been to hell and back

nwilliams

June 16, 2008, 11:09 PM

Well I picked up a Remington Rand with a Colt slide not too long ago, I love it and it shoots like a dream. There should be some initials engraved into the frame just below the slide release. This is inspectors initials it will tell you who inspected the gun at the factory when it was made. You can also check under the firing pin block and see if the slide matches the frame. If all the numbers match that's always a good thing.

This link may or may not help you....
http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=353751

Joey_the_Wolf

June 16, 2008, 11:18 PM

I have ALWAYS wanted a genuine WWII issued 1911 pistol. Personally, I want one that looks like it's been there and done that. I want scratches, worn finish, etc. I've always wanted a Garand in similar condition too. But yeah, I love those pistols and what they stand for, and if I wasn't such a broke college student, I'd buy one up in a heartbeat.

XavierBreath

June 17, 2008, 02:07 AM

Depending on type (there are four types, I believe) correctness, and condition, the prices of a Remington Rand are extremely variable.

Just where this particular pistol is on that scale is anyone's guess. If it looks like it has "to hell and back" then it is in the lower category.

If you do not have the knowledge base to make a judgement call, (and few of us really do when it comes to USGI M1911A1s) you are placing your trust in the seller. One thing is certain, someday it will be worth $1600. The question is whether it is worth that now, whether it will be worth that in the next decade, or even in your lifetime. There-in lies the crux of speculating on the monetary value of guns. If you like the pistol and have the money, buy it and enjoy it. If you will feel a financial pinch, look for a better deal.

RONSTAR

June 17, 2008, 03:12 AM

Awesome thanks guys Im certainly going to do more research before I think about making this purchase

nwilliams

June 17, 2008, 03:59 AM

To add to my earlier post.....

Ask yourself why would you be getting this gun? Are you looking for a shooter or a collectible? If you are looking for a shooter then you can spend a whole lot less and get something perfectly decent. If you are looking for a collectible then just make sure what you are getting is worth the price being asked. Keep in mind that collectors love all matching guns but to a shooter whether the parts all match or not matters not if the gun goes bang every time.

The fact is I paid only about $200 when all was said and done for my mix-matched Rand and I bet it has seen as much history and would perform just as well as that $1600 version you are looking at. Remember that Remington Rand was producing mix-matched 1911's for years before they started making all their own parts. I've even heard that some people actually prefer the mix-matched versions over the all matching ones. The point I'm trying to make is don't be fooled into thinking that more expensive means better, when dealing with historical guns you have to take into account collectible value.

Since I'm not a collector I'm a shooter, spending $1600 on an old M1911 is not really practical to me. I want a gun I can shoot and not have to worry too much about damaging its collectibility. For that much money there are probably much better 1911 options out there if you want something that you can take to the range.

Of course I'm only speaking from my own point of view, $1600 to me is a lot of money for any handgun, to someone else that amount may be inconsequential. If money is not a concern and you just want something historical that will also have collectible value then it sound like you found a good candidate for that. Still I would do a lot of research and really make sure you getting your money's worth.

Good luck with your decision!

RONSTAR

June 17, 2008, 02:33 PM

Ask yourself why would you be getting this gun? ]
Well I would be getting as a collectors gun I would also shoot it not often but it would see minimal use all of my other fire arms I have purchased new with the exception of one wich was lnib I just want it as a functional WW2 relic.

hacksaw

June 17, 2008, 02:48 PM

Go to the 1911 forums, they have a section there just for the old G.I. .45's, there is an entire musuems worth of knowledge gathered there, take advantage.

Bill73

June 17, 2008, 05:07 PM

"Remember that Remington Rand was producing mix-matched 1911's for years before they started making all their own parts. I've even heard that some people actually prefer the mix-matched versions over the all matching ones." FALSE

Colt furnished some unmarked slides until Remington got their equipment up and running. A Colt/Remington combination is mismatched and certainly didn't leave the factory as such. Those that went through the rebuild program could have a mismatched slide, but would also have the Arsenal stamp on the frame designating which Arsenal processed the rebuild. These rebuilds are becoming more expensive, to collectors, as pure factory specimens are harder to find.

All Remington would have the "FJA" inspectors initials on the frame below the slide release.

There are some Colts and the other makers that had the same serial # range until the error was caught.

Flame Red

June 17, 2008, 06:38 PM

This is the go-to site for all information on what is original.

http://www.coolgunsite.com/pistols/1911infopage.htm

I would tend to say that the more valuable the pistol, the less I would tend to want to shoot it, since if something breaks you might have a really tough time finding an original replacement part. And if you fix it with a non-original part, you are going to kill its value.

If I were looking for a shooter, I would get a beater or spend the money on a quality modern 1911, or just get an arsenal rebuild - they are not as valuable to collectors and should go for a lot less.

Bill73

June 17, 2008, 07:23 PM

For questions and excellent answers go to http://www.jouster.com/cgi-bin/pistol/pistol.pl

nwilliams

June 17, 2008, 07:37 PM

Bill73....

My understanding is that many Remington Rand mix-matched 1911's left the factory that way....See link posted by Flame Red......

Initially some manufacturing equipment was not available. This caused Remington Rand to acquire parts from other sources to complete the early pistols. They purchased barrels from High Standard, Colt, and Springfield Armory; Disconnectors from US&S; Grips safeties from Colt; and Slide stops from Colt and Springfield Armory (2,865 left over from WWI). Remington Rand "C" Division inherited much of the documentation, tooling, and machinery that originally was used by The Singer Manufacturing Co. in their Educational Order. Consequently some of the parts of the early pistols were made using Singer supplied tooling and fixtures. Careful examination of Early Remington Rand pistols will reveal striking similarities in some of the parts to Singer made parts such as the triggers and mainspring housings. The first 255 production pistols where accepted by ordinance inspectors in November of 1942.

Bill73

June 17, 2008, 08:26 PM

Sure, lots of parts were shared and there's a list of companies that produced small parts for pistol makers use. Small parts were not labeled Colt, Remington Rand, Union Switch and Signal, Ithaca or Singer. But no maker produced a pistol with another makers roll marks on the slide.

The gun in question may have been put together in Bubba's Garage with a mix of war time parts and current day production parts. Without even the serial number it's year of mfg. can't be determined.

nwilliams

June 17, 2008, 08:41 PM

The gun in question may have been put together in Bubba's Garage with a mix of war time parts and current day production parts. Without even the serial number it's year of mfg. can't be determined.

This is very true, therein lies the problem with spending lots of money on a collectible based only on what the seller tells you. The more research you do the better your chances are of getting a genuine article.

Bill73

June 17, 2008, 09:06 PM

When WWII came about Colt was swamped with wartime production. Lot's of parts were left over from WWI. Springfield Armory was government owned and let all the contracts assigning the serial number range for the contract. Some Colts were put together with some parts of WWI mfg. A friend, a retired Lt. Col., has his that was issued to him in '43. It's a 1918 production gun. That one is still in service with his Marine son.

Engine Co 1

October 28, 2009, 08:17 PM

My father in law came across a Government Remington Rand 1911 buried in his basement. The thing is in decent shape, however the frame S/N is 300XXX. In all my searches I have not been able to put this serial to a Remington Rand.
Visiting www.coolgunsite.com frame and slide markings match a remington rand, just not the s/n.

03Shadowbob

October 28, 2009, 10:29 PM

Down here they go for a bit more than elsewhere it looks like. I've seen them as high as $2500 and maybe as low as $1400.

starznbarz

January 6, 2010, 07:56 AM

morning all, I have a remington rand 1911 I purchased 25 years ago , it is stamped "united states property m1911a1 u.s. army" this is on the frame below the slide, below that is stamped"no NHN500" no other markings other than remington rand syracuse n.y. on the slide. anybody know how to trace the history,year of manufacture, or when this weapon was issued? it shoots like a dream, has never malfunctioned, and is tighter than most new colts.